Casa Del Dolce Brings Philly Flavor to Downtown

Tony Buto came to Ocean City from Northeast Philadelphia in 1995 to help a friend in the aftermath of that winter's blizzard.

"Next thing you know, here I am 16 years later," said Buto over coffee in the warmly hued dining room of on a recent gray morning.

Buto explained he first rented a tiny penny candy store in the 3300 block of Asbury Avenue and served coffee and breakfast sandwiches.

Eleven years ago, he moved to the downtown location in the 900 block of Asbury. He has two storefronts—one a bakery and take-out counter, the other a 50-plus-seat dining room—and lives upstairs.

On this morning, in the midst of a long spell of gloomy weather, the dining room's pretty colors helped lift spirits—as did chatting with the affable Buto, his staff and customers.

Cream for coffee comes in a little silver pitcher, a classy touch. For fall, try a pumpkin spice latte or apple cinnamon pie-flavored coffee. As winter nears, look for coffee flavors such as peppermint and nutmeg.

Breakfast sandwiches are still on Buto's menu—including your basic egg, cheese and meat on English muffin, bagel or kaiser for $3.99 to $4.99. But there also are varieties we haven't seen elsewhere.

How about egg, proscuitto de parma and tomato? Or egg, broccoli rabe and provolone? Even more exotic: Egg, spinach, sundried tomato and mozzarella. All these are served on homemade foccacia bread and served with homefries for $6.99 to $7.99. 

Also on the large menu—seven varieties of frittata—an Italian omelet. Made with three eggs, Casa Del Dolce's are plate-sized, light and fluffy, and flavorful. Filling combinations include spinach, sundried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella; Italian bacon, potatoes, onions and provolone; even zucchini, squash, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, onions and low-fat lacy Swiss cheese. They are $8.99, except for one with egg whites, sausage, broccoli rabe, tomatoes and provolone, which is $8.99.

Buto's personal favorite breakfast is an adaptation of a dish from his childhood in South Philly (before he moved to the Fox Chase section). Eyes of the Sicilian, one of a half-dozen "House Favorites" ranging from $8.99 to $12.99, features three poached eggs in a plum tomato sauce over Italian toast.

"My mom always made this dish where she poached eggs in tomato sauce," Buto said.

Apparently, Buto's mother wasn't the only one.

"My mother used to make it. When I saw that on the menu, I went wild," said Sara Turner, who was visiting from Merritt Island, FL, with her husband, Mark, for his 50th reunion from Ocean City High School.  "I will have it before I leave town." 

In fact, the Turners were having breakfast at Casa Del Dolce after eating dinner there the night before.

"He was craving the creamed dried beef," Sara said of her husband.

"The beef is unique in the fact that most are heavy; this is light," Mark Turner said of the $8.99 dish.  

Buto greets customers with a warm "Have a seat!" and clearly enjoys interacting with diners—particularly since he recently hired full-time chef Thomas Klunk so he could step out of the kitchen.

Like an Italian mother, Buto loves when customers leave full and satisfied.

"When I started this, I don't do it for a living, I do it because I love it,
he said. "I just love to hear people say, 'That was so good.'"

Casa Del Dolce by the Sea has large and mouth-watering lunch and dinner fare, too—pizza, steaks, pasta seafood and more—but that's another column.

We bet you won't be able to leave here without picking up a few goodies from the full adjacent bakery. The delectable pastry here are baked by Buto's sister Rose in her Fox Chase bakery, also called Casa Del Dolce. From cannoli to sfogitelle (clamshell pastry with a citrusy flavor) -- it all tastes as good as it looks.

WHERE: 947-949 Asbury Ave.

WHEN: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m.-9 p.m. weekends

GET IN TOUCH: 609-398-9300, casadeldolceocnj.com, Facebook

OTHER STUFF TO KNOW: Visa and Mastercard accepted. Dining room or sidewalk seating. Take-out, catering.